An increasing number of users are interested in hard disk-based portable audio/video players, powerful and intelligent cellular phones, and other portable entertainment equipment.
Known portable audio players usually have only one headphone output jack. If music, which is currently played back by the audio player of a user, is to be shared with another user, it is necessary to unplug the headphone from the audio player and to let the other user plug in. After having plugged in to the audio player of the first user, the second user can listen via his headphone to the music played back by the first user's audio player.
Alternatively, it is possible to implement an audio splitter enabling two users to simultaneously listen to the same music with two headphones.
WO 2003/093950 A2 discloses a system for sharing music between individuals through portable audio devices by transmitting music signals from one device to another. The communication between the two devices is realized by using inter-unit transmitter/receiver units.
Setting up an ad-hoc wireless communication network requires proper configuration of various parameters. In particular, a user has to configure the network type, network name, network addresses, communication and security parameters for all the devices involved. Usually, this is done manually according to the prior art, following installation procedures. For instance, a Windows XP installation procedure can be monitored on a display but requires user input via a keyboard.
Windows Smart Network Key (WSNK) is a semi-automatic procedure, deployed along with Windows XP SP2 by Microsoft. WSNK has been adapted to address the growing need for a method of configuring and bootstrapping wireless networking hardware (wireless access points) and wireless clients (including PCs and other devices). A WSNK wizard provides means for a Windows user to easily create and propagate network settings using XML scheme and portable media (for instance, a USB memory stick).
Rekimoto, J et al., “SyncTap: An Interaction Technique for Mobile Networking”
(MOBILE HCI 2003, http://www.csl.sony.co.jp/person/rekimoto/papers/mhci03.pdf) discloses a user interface technique for making a network connection between digital devices. When a user wants to connect two devices, he synchronously presses and releases a “connection” button on both devices.
Existing wireless communication systems such as Bluetooth or WLAN (wireless local area network) suffer from the problem that the end user acceptance to establish links is low, because much manual interaction by a user is needed, which makes setting up the wireless link a difficult and cumbersome task.
Wireless communication technology such as Bluetooth provides device discovery mechanisms for establishing a new network. However, wireless devices are vulnerable to misuse. For instance, in an airport lounge, an unauthorized user can connect to a mobile phone and misuse it without being noticed, since it works within the spatial range of Bluetooth. In addition, Bluetooth discovery procedures are time-consuming, which makes setting up a network to a trial of patience for the user.
Semi-automatic solutions require additional dedicated expensive set-up devices and lack ease of use as desired by a user. In addition, systems broadcasting network parameters through a wireless link are prone to eavesdropping.
In known automatic solutions, the user has no sufficient control of those devices that are allowed to connect with the user's device.
Thus, according to the related art, there is no system which allows easy and secure establishment of a network between different devices.